Prime Minister Edi Rama says Albanians remain firmly committed to the European project. Despite political polarisation, internal conflicts and protests, he says EU membership remains the country’s shared goal.

Speaking at the discussion “Europe’s Shared Future: Enlargement and the Next Generation”, held during the Paris Peace Forum, Rama linked Albania’s strong support for Europe to the country’s unique history and experience under communist rule.

Asked whether young people still believe in EU membership or are becoming discouraged, Rama said Albania had followed a different path from other European countries. He recalled that Albania left the Eastern Bloc in the 1960s, later established close ties with Maoist China and remained isolated for decades.

After the fall of communism, he said, Albanians became “Western fanatics” because they had strong reasons to embrace freedom and democracy.

Furthermore, Rama stressed that Albanians see the European Union not as a source of financial benefits, but as a shared space of freedom, security, peace and cooperation.

He added that political differences and protests do not change the country’s European direction.

“Europe is our common goal and destination,” Rama said, adding that Albania has no alternative to the European project.

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